(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to farming, and more particularly to an implement for tilling the soil. Applicant submits that a farm implement manufacturer is one having ordinary skill in this art. Applicant believes this application to be in the field of earth working or agricultural tillers. Therefore, this application is written so that a farm implement manufacturer would be able to make and use the invention.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The area of West Texas, has sandy soils. After a heavy rain, the lighter portions of the sand within the soil are at the top of the ground. Dry winds will cause the sand to blow in the Spring, injuring tender growing crops.
To prevent the sand from blowing, a tilling implement called "sand fighter" has been developed. It has been found that if the soil is lightly tilled by kicking up damp soil having heavier components measuring about 4 square inches per every square foot, that this will prevent the sand from blowing. The sand fighters in common usage today include a frame extending over considerable distance, e.g., traversing a swath of land 30 or 40 feet wide. One or more shafts is journaled to the frame so that the shafts extend over this 30 to 40 feet of land. Kickers are spaced along the shaft every 6 to 12 inches. Each of the kickers is a bent prong extending radially from the shaft and is adapted to penetrate the soil about one inch and kick up about one square inch of heavy, moist soil.
Since the implement is very light, it can be drafted at high speed across the farm so that within an hour or so, 300 to 400 acres may be "tilled" to the extent necessary to stop the sand from blowing.
Often, the conditions which are conducive to sand blowing occur while the underlying soil is still wet. Therefore, often the sand is blowing while the underlying soil is still wet from the rain and it is therefore desirable as soon as the fields are dry enough to support a tractor that this particular sand fighting procedure be conducted as quickly as possible.
Many of the sand fighters on the market are adapted to be towed by a chain or a hitch behind the tractor, never being elevated. Inasmuch as the implements are inexpensive, sometimes a farmer will have such an implement for each plot of land with no thought that the implement will be transferred from one plot of land to another. It will be understood, that although the implement is not heavy, that moving an implement 40 feet in length is a difficult chore. Also turning the implement at turn rows and the like causes some problem because of its traverse width.
Some sand fighters are carried on the power lift of the tractor which can be raised. Also, some sand fighters are built in sections having two end wings or section which are folded over. With such a sand fighter as this, the sand fighter is easier to turn at the turn rows, and also, a farmer who has several plots of farm land, may move it from one farm or plot to another. It is emphasized that these implements are normally used only once or twice a year, and some years not at all, and in the Spring when the crops are young and small. When the crops get larger, the growing vegetation itself will prevent the sand from blowing. Also, before crops are planted, although the blowing sand may be a source of irritation, it does not do the great economic harm that it does at later periods when it destroys the small tender crops.
Before this application was filed, the applicant caused a search to be made in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The following patents were found on that search:
______________________________________ Inventor U.S. Pat. No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Huxford 4,383,580 May 17, 1983 Taylor 1,535,058 Apr 21, 1925 Hansen 2,604,027 Jul 22, 1952 Stephenson 2,750,724 Jun 19, 1956 Groenke 3,255,830 Jun 14, 1966 Groenke 3,321,028 May 23, 1967 Shuler et al. 3,844,358 Oct 29, 1974 Klindworth 4,191,260 Mar 4, 1980 Friggstad 4,355,689 Oct 26, 1982 ______________________________________
Huxford discloses an aerator having frame sections pivoted to one another with a shaft journaled to each of the frame sections and aerators extending from the shafts. The aerator blades are designed to cut the soil.
Groenke '028 discloses a farm implement of the ground working or cultivating type having a plurality of ground working tines or blades (col. 2, line 25). Groenke shows a total of seven foldable sections. The end section of which is folded by hand, and the remainder sections are folded by hydraulics (col. 5).
The remaining patents do not appear to be as pertinent as the two discussed above.
These patents are considered pertinent because the applicant believes the Examiner would consider anything revealed by an experienced patent searcher to be relevant and pertinent to the examination of this application.